


Nightmare Well

by Teaj



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Blood, Bottom of the Well, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:34:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28146903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teaj/pseuds/Teaj
Summary: The bottom of the well was a horrific place to explore. Even more so in a seemingly unending nightmare.
Relationships: Time & Wind (Linked Universe)
Kudos: 48





	Nightmare Well

**Author's Note:**

> Linked Universe is an AU made by Jojo56830 on Tumbr https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/

It was raining when the Links finally made camp, making them all damp and grumpy. They were lucky enough to find an outcropping of rocks to set up camp under. After a few failed tries to start a fire, they had to settle for a cold dinner. The rain seemed to drain the energy out of all of them but Wind and Sky, who seemed to love it. Instead of the usual merriment they tended to have around the fire, they simply set the watch order and, with a few exceptions, quickly went to bed.

Wind was given first watch, Sky and Time stayed up a little later then the rest. Sky and Wind were chatting happily while Time was simply looking out at the storm, deep in thought. Sky and Wind were both surprised when he went to bed without a word. Sky followed suit soon after and Wind was left alone with the sound of rain fall. It was relaxing. Then the thunder started. It was distant, but noticeable. Wind turned, but none of the others seemed to be too disturbed by it, just the odd twitch as they settled. Perhaps the rain was too relaxing, Wind could feel his eyes starting to get heavy. The young hero stood and behang pacing the perimeter of their camp.

\---

_Six simple, happy little notes, that’s all it had taken to drain the well. The main source of water for the village which never filled again. Perhaps that was for the best, given the horrors below._

_Time found himself at the bottom of the well, once more a child. Blood-stained walls surrounding him, closing in tighter the further in he went. Giant skultullas dropped from above, their skull-like backs seeming to thirst for more blood._

_Time would dodge the spiders only to have a shadow start to loom over him went he stopped for just a moment of rest. This place was a maze, not helped by the false walls. He leaned against one such wall and found himself falling, barely catching himself intime to land safely. He stopped as he got up and looked around._

_A mistake. The shadow was back. Even if he defeated the source, it would be back again. Had the shadow always been here? Was it ever not? He ran and the shadow left, for now. Left, right, straight… Dead end. Try again. Where was the fake wall? It had to be around here. The rooms seemed to shift, and still the walls were closing in. Soon he wouldn’t be able to evade the shadow._

_Corpse filled cells lined his path, and strange faces decorated otherwise bare walls, taunting him with knowledge of the unknown. Navi could hear their spirits, where was Navi? Was she lost? He stopped and tried to call out for her but no sound escaped his lips. The shadow returned. No more time to wait. He ran._

_A gap up ahead, He jumped, only to hear a soul shattering screech as he landed, freezing him in place as the desiccated redead took slow, lumbering steps towards him. One… Two… Three… Time was free just as the rehead reached for his neck, and rolled jumped away, reaching for his sword… but it was gone to._

_The Kokiri sword, his last tie to the forest… he had lost it. He had no choice but to run again. Always running. How could this place be so big? The shadow never let up, always appearing the moment he took a rest. The redead were appearing more frequently, and the skultulas seemed to be trying to land on top of him._

_Time tripped. His foot caught on a loose stone and the child who would be a hero fell, and fell and fell, as even the floor beneath him was not real._

_Pathetic. And he was meant to save Hyrule? The shadow grew quickly as he scrambled to his feet. Just as the giant hand fell Time jumped out of the way, not looking and realizing too late he had launched himself head first towards the wall._

_Another fake. He slipped through and landed on the other side. The new room held nothing but a single door. No redeads, no skultulas, no shadow. But this door was more terrifying than any of those. A voice screamed in his head to RUN GET AWAY. He didn’t even have a sword, he would die! He was no hero, he was just a helpless child! But his body moved of it’s own accord. Slow as a redead, he approached the door. A single hand on it and it opened upwards, the darkness within calling to him. He stepped through and the door slammed shut, bars lowering to block any possible escape._

_The walls and floor of this room were made of countless skulls, their cold dead eye sockets watching him, waiting for when he would join them. Four bone white arms covered in blood with red, talon like nails on each finger extended upwards from the floor. Each one taller than a grown man._

_Time knew what would happen, but once again his body moved on its own, towards the nearest hand. The arm bent at an inhuman angle and the hand grabbed his face. As Time struggled to free himself a shower of dirt and bone shards hit him at IT emerged. Dead hand. The bone white, blood stained blob-like body extending into the earth, the blood soaked stubs at the end of its unnaturally thin arms, and the neck, as long as Time was tall as a child, holding the monsters face pointing straight up._

_Time struggled harder to free himself from the arm’s grasp. Dead hand inched closer every moment he took to free himself, and every inch made him more frantic. Finally, Dead hand was within range and ever so slowly the horrid face bent down to stare at him. Teeth larger than Time’s hand, eyes like black pools death. In the last moment before it took a bite, Time freed himself and stumbled away, only to be caught by another hand. Then another, and another, uncountable hands errupting from the ground to grab hold. Dead hand was advancing again, and hand after hand kept grabbing every inch of the child’s body._

_\---_

Wind had found a comfortable place to sit and listen to the rain while he watched for threats, finally awake enough to relax without worry. He wasn’t surprised to hear one of the others tossing in their sleep, but he was a little surprised when he saw it was Time. Wind approached cautiously, not sure how Time would react to being awoken, and also not sure how best to go about it. “Time,” Wind was quiet at first, but the other hero didn’t react at all. So he spoke louder, “Time. Time! Wake up, come on.” Wind looked around at the others. He didn’t want to disturb them by being any louder, so he reached out and grabbed Time’s shoulder to shake him awake.

Time’s eyes flew open at the touch. He sat up and grabbed Wind around the neck in one smooth motion. After half a second, Time came to his senses and saw what he had done, and the sheer panic in Wind’s eyes. Time released him instantly, thankful his grip hadn’t been any tighter. “I’m sorry,” Time said, shaking his head. _What’s wrong with me, I could have killed him._ Not that he truly thought it would be that easy to kill any one of them, but the thought came regardless.

“It’s okay,” Wind said, after a moment, “You were having a nightmare. I tried to wake you up by calling but you didn’t hear me… I’m sorry for grabbing you.”

“Don’t be. I’m grateful you woke me. You’re okay?”

Wind just nodded, “was just a little shocked.” At that moment, a bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, as though the gods themselves wanted to punctuate Wind’s statement. The sudden flash just made Wind jump slightly. “Um… you okay? Do you… want to talk about it?” That always helped him when he had nightmares, but he knew others didn't like to.

Time sighed and shook his head. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.” He also didn’t want to burden the kid with his problems.

Wind shrugged, “gonna stay up?”

Time nodded, he was wide awake now, his mind racing. It still felt like hands were grabbing at him.

Wind looked thoughtful for a moment then said, “Have I told you about how my sister got her telescope?”

Time was grateful for the distraction and smiled softly at Wind, “No, I don’t believe so.”

Wind started into a long winded story. There was no real suspense, Aryll saw the telescope at Beedle’s shop and the two kids ran around the island making money to buy it. But Wind told it as though it were just as epic a tale as any dungeon any of the heroes had faced. As the rain fell rythmicly, Time let himself be taken in by the simple, joyful story. He didn’t remember when he fell asleep, but when he did he dreamed of being back in the Lost Woods, playing hide-and-seek with the kokiri.


End file.
